The Malta Ethics Committee issued a searing report Monday suggesting that, due to concerns about the upcoming election, town officials may have taken steps to delay action on the panel's recommendation that Town Clerk Flo Sickels be censured for having town employees do political work on government time.

The seven-member ethics committee, fearing their report on Sickels would not be made public until after Tuesday's election, went to a Town Board meeting on Monday night and confronted the board with their findings during a public comment session. The report included a timeline that raised questions about why an ethics complaint filed against Sickels on Sept. 11 was not given to the Ethics Committee until Oct. 4 — three weeks after it was forwarded to Malta's town attorney, Thomas W. Peterson.

"The committee believes the findings are of sufficient importance to be made publicly available prior to Election Day ... and, further, that not making reasonable efforts to make our findings available to voters prior to Election Day would be a violation of the principles of the Code of Ethics itself," states the report, which was unanimously adopted by the ethics panel.

The report indicates Christine M. Carsky, a Saratoga Springs attorney who has advised the ethics panel in the past, forwarded the two-page ethics complaint to the town attorney on Sept. 11 by email and regular mail. Carsky could not be reached for comment.

"I have no comment regarding the ethics complaint at this time," Peterson said Tuesday.

The report included a detailed timeline that indicated the committee had asked to present its findings to the Town Board at Monday's meeting, and the request was initially granted. But the committee said that after their chairwoman declined a request by Supervisor Paul Sausville to provide him an advance copy of its report, they were told by the town attorney they would have to submit their report to the board on Nov. 6, the day after the election.

The complaint was filed by Lynda Bablin, a banking underwriter who is the town's receiver of taxes. Bablin made three accusations against Sickels, including an allegation that the town clerk instructed a town employee, Jennifer Lanahan, to edit and retype Malta Republican Committee minutes while she was working in the town clerk's office on town time.

"This was corroborated by three people we interviewed, including the named employee," the ethics committee said. "In our interview with the town clerk, she said she had not made such a request."

Sickels, 62, who has been town clerk for 22 years, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Bablin, a member of the town Republican Committee, said she's "had enough" with what she characterized as "corruption and unethical behavior" in the town government. She said she has asked that the receiver of taxes position be abolished because she considers it a waste of taxpayer dollars, but added that she believes Sickels is not qualified to handle the duties. Bablin made the report public Tuesday after receiving a copy from the Ethics Committee.

Bablin's second allegation was that Sickels allegedly instructed Lanahan to campaign door-to-door for Sickels' re-election bid; and that a former deputy town clerk, Linda Deprey, had been instructed by Sickels to write letters to voters supporting Sickels' re-election bid.

The ethics committee said they sustained the second allegation and found that Sickels also solicited campaign support from a town employee inside town hall during normal office hours, which is a violation of town code.

"During our interviews, we asked explicitly if there had been any kind of threat associated with requests made by the town clerk," the committee's report states. "No interviewee described any explicit threats, but one person stated there was a definite 'sense there would be consequences.'"

Deprey was fired by Sickels a day after the September primary, according to Bablin.

The Ethics Committee said it could not sustain Bablin's third complaint against Sickels accusing the town clerk of performing duties for a privately operated dog service, Eastline-Romp-and-Play Inc., on town time and while using town resources. The committee said it "could not find enough evidence to either prove or disprove this allegation."

The ethics panel's report notes that Sickels' work for the dog park was sanctioned by the Town Board but not well documented.

"Those interviewed noted that the town clerk accepted contributions to the not-for-profit during office hours and kept those contributions in a separate envelope," the report states. "At least one interviewee noted receipts were not provided for contributions to the not-for-profit."

Mary Law Powell, who chairs the Ethics Committee, could not be reached for comment. The panel did not mention Sickels by name when they addressed the board Monday.

Their report said that Sickels gave inconsistent answers during her interview with the committee.

"For example, she said she had 'absolutely' not solicited any kind of political contribution in response to a question, then subsequently said she had requested an employee to sign a nominating petition," the report states. "Also, she said she was unaware of the complaint, when one of the named employees said the town clerk had told her of the complaint and the town clerk had heard of it from Ms. Bablin."

Town Supervisor Paul Sausville acknowledged that Sickels is a "friend" and political ally, but he said town officials did not try to delay disclosure of the panel's findings until after the election. Sausville said Peterson, the town attorney, was the "main contact" for the Ethics Committee.

"I just found out about this about a week ago," Sausville said. "I said if they would like to come to the Town Board meeting they can ... at the beginning of every session we have an open mic, if you will. There was no effort to delay this, but there was some cautionary advice provided by our town attorney to be sure that due process has been followed."

Sausville said he issued a memorandum to town employees on Tuesday stating that the town would take seriously the advice of the ethics panel, including recommendations to improve the town's ethics law and update an employee manual.

Cynthia Young, a Democrat challenging Sausville for supervisor in next week's election, said she's concerned by the report.

"The most disconcerting thing is that it appears to be a deliberate attempt to keep the findings of the ethics board from the public before the election," Young said. "I don't know who specifically is at fault, and that's what we need to find out."

Amanda Sovern, 26, a Democrat who is challenging Sickels for the town clerk's job, said "it's clear the town of Malta is lacking open government."

The Town Board has 45 days to act on the recommendation by the ethics panel.